WATCH: Caleche horse collapses in Old Montreal

Videos going viral on social media shows a caleche horse in Old Montreal on Monday afternoon having collapsed and unable to get up.

A witness says she called police, but was told they could do nothing to help the animal.

She says the horse was in a queue with other horses and carriages when it collapsed on the ground and was unable to get up for about 10 minutes. In the videos, three people are seen trying to coax the horse to its feet using a carrot, as well as pushing it, to no avail, off the ground.

The incident took place in front of the Bank of Montreal building on St-Jacques St. near Place d'Armes.

It comes just two weeks after Montreal passed a new bylaw that prohibits horses from working in heat exceeding 28 degrees Celsius, excluding any humidity. It was about 24 degrees on Monday afternoon around the time of the incident.

The city announced the new rules in response to several high-profile incidents last year involving caleche horses suffering in the summer heat or being hit by moving vehicles.

In one situation in Griffintown, a horse was struck by a car and vaulted into the air after it got away from the caleche driver. Footage of the incident was uploaded to Facebook and was swiftly seen by thousands.

Mayor Denis Coderre responded at first by attempting to impose a one-year moratorium on the caleche industry as new regulations were discussed, but that was quashed in court after caleche drivers and owners sought an injunction.

The new bylaw on horses, adopted this past August, followed.

Projet Montreal leader and mayoralty candidate in Montreal's upcoming municipal election, Valérie Plante, says she would end Montreal's caleche industry were she voted in to replace Coderre on November 5.

"Shocked by these images," she posted to Facebook. "It's time to pull the plug on this outdated industry and that's what we'll do."